Fish lure



Patented Feb. 14, 1933 EDWARD H. BOBO, OF RANGER, TEXAS FISH LURE Application filed March 28, 1932. Serial No. 601,655.

The invention aims to provide a new and improved fish lure for trolling purposes and of such construction as to move in unusual n ways as it is being drawn through the water. l A. further object is to provide a lure which may be easily and inexpensively manufactured and marketed and hence sold at small cost.

q Vith the foregoing in view, the invention resides in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, description being accomplished by reference to the accompanying drawing.

Fig. l is a perspective view showing the e preferred construction.

Fig. 2 is a detail central longitudinal sectional view.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary bottom plan view.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view showing a modified construction.

While features of construction have been illustrated which have proven to be advantageous, variations may of course be made I within the scope of the invention as claimed. t The numeral 5 on the drawing denotes an elongated longitudinally channeled body formed of thin sheet metal or other light material, said body having its channeled side presented upwardly, being open at its front Y end, and being likewise open at its rear end.

The front end 6 is curved or otherwise turned downwardly to cause the lure to dip and take to the water rather than skim the surface. A line-attaching bail 7 has its ends loosely pivoted at 8 to the opposed side walls 9 of the body 5, at points spaced well rearward from the front extremity of said body and relatively near the longitudinal center of said body, the pivots 8 permitting swinging of the body 5 on an axis transverse to its length. In the construction shown7 the bail 7 is provided with a central eye 10 to which the line 11 is connected in any desired way.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a flipper 12 is disposed at the rear end of the body 5 and is pivotally mounted on an axis extending longitudinally of said body, said flipper having limited pivotal movement in both directions about its pivotal axis. In the construction shown, a bifurcated flipper support 13 is secured at its front ends to the lower portion of the body 5 and projects rearwardly from said body under the flipper 12, the rear end of said support being provided with an upstanding portion 11i having a tubular bearing l5. This 55 bearing is received in an opening 16 in the flipper 12, and a pivot pin 17 passes through said bearing and projects both forwardly and rearwardly therefrom. The Hipper 12 is provided with upwardly stamped bearing G0 portions 18 which engage the upper sides of the projecting pin portions, and suitable bearing caps 19 are soldered or otherwise, secured to the lower side of said flipper 12 and engage the lower side of said projecting pin G5 portions. rllhe flipper is thus loosely pivoted in an inexpensive, yet efficient way, and in the preferred construction, the plane of said iiipper is preferably above the axis of the pin 17, so that the former is very sensitive to unbalanced pressures on its upper side, at opposite sides of its pivot. Its pivotal movement however, is limited by striking against one or the other of the furcations of the support 13.

The body 5 may carry any desired hook or hooks, such as illustrated at 20, each hook being preferably although not necessarily loosely pivoted to the body.

The operation of the lure will now be vdescribed, and in following the explanation, it will be well to bear in mind the changes in names of the different parts, taking place after the nose 6 has dipped and the lure has begun to operate. The nose 6, at the front in the drawing becomes the lower end. The tail of the lure becomes the upper end, the open top becomes the front, and the bottom becomes the baclr, while the right and left sides each in turn become the top and bottom sides. It will be observed that there are two pivots whose planes of action are at right angles to each other and that the forces set up about these pivots (8 and 17) lie in planes at right angles to each other. The explanation of these forces will be treated separately in order that their combined actions may be more readily understood, and the first discussion will concern movement of the body 5 about the pivots 8.

Simultaneously with the beginning of the retrieve, the nose 6 dips and .consequently tilts the lure about the Vpivots 8, andsaid lure quickly assumes aposition but slightly short of beingl perpendicular to the fishing line by which it is being pulled. This body 5 seeks andmaintains a balanced condition aboutthe pivots 8 and will substantially maintain said Vposition throughout the entire retrieve, but

due to the fact that the pivotis slightlyraised with referencey to the channel, or in' 'other words, the Vplaneupon which the yforces act,- the resultant of theseforces will be slightly oblique to the fishing line and tothe line of retrieve, thus causing a slippage of, the lurey awayfromthis-line and 'always in the direc'- tion'of'lthe 'nose'6, no matter what direction this may.be,`whether1up, down,fright, or left.

The flipper 12`controls this direction Within certain boundss'- jf' ,A .Y

" In'explaining the action of the flipper 12,1 will forthe time being consider said flipper apart from all else and will ,assume'tha't'the line is secured to the center of the pivot pin 17, vthat this pivot pin is standing horizontally ,atj rightk angles to theline, and that-the flipper 4is in a vertical-plane perpendicular to said line. lfnotherwords, the flipper will be` standingl onedge facing thefoperator, with symmetrical halves above and below thel line. I 'will Tnow assume that the flipper and the line jare immersed a suitable depthandthat the line vis pulled or retrieved. As lthe retrieve is startedl and progresses, the dynamic force set up Yon ,the lower half ofthe'flipper 12 greaterthan-that upon the upper half, thus causing this lower half to lag and the upperV half to lead, which if stopped before a quarter 'ofa turn hasbeenmade by the flipper, will gverise to an elevating force whichin turn will cause the lipperto rise toward the surlface oftheVwaterpasdoes a `water sled. It

must -be lremembered Athat'i'during this .ex

- ample, the rise toward the surface hastaken V'place with :the axis 'of' the pivotv pin ina horizontal planefat all times and# that the lower half of the' flipper has had atI alll times a greater force acting upon it. Bly pivoting the flipper 12 to the'body of the lure, a dif'- -ferent condition arises',` for if we considerV the lure to be upon itsl side, theipperwill bein per and` finallyV a reversal of spin ofthelure. Such reversals repeatedly take place during operation of the lure, but eachreversalis debutthe lifting moment of said fliplayed somewhat by placingthe plane of the flipper 12 slightly in advance of the axis about'which said flipper may turn.

Due to the forces and movements above explained, a retrieve is obtained which maybe described as consisting of a series of half spirals. The acting forces give rise to move#` ments'very similar to those ofthe ordinary.Y kite, and most especially is this true with respect to thenQse-ward .mov-ement ofthe body'5. It would Vappear jthatthe constant liftingmoment -due to the flipper, would eventually bring therlure to the surface Vof the wateigbut this moment is opposed by; the

body slipping downward or diving, since the nose m general is ina downwardV direction. f i

In the modified construction .v

4, a-flipper or tail-12 disposed substantially in a horizontalplane, vextending 'longitudinallyof the body 5, is provided, said flipper or tail being either integrally joined to said bodyV or otherwise rigidly'connected thereto. I

The rear-end of the tail-piece 12 is provided with a V-shaped notch,and at the edges of this notch, is formed Vwith rearwardly di-V verging vanes 22 whichrproject upwardly at approximately to the plane of the flipper or tail. l

While the construction shown inxFig. 4 will notperform aseifectively as the-first described construction, it may be made to closely simulate the action `of'said rst describedL form, byslightly manipulating the rod and'reel. .v Y y Vith the exception 4ofthe above described features 12', 21 and ,'22, the-devicelof Figjl is the same. as that Vshownin the preceding views. Y 'I 'claimt-V' 1- Y w ,V g 1. A fishlure comprising an elongated lon gitudinally channeled 'hook-carrying .body

having its open side disposed upwardly,land

a' line-attachingbail having its ends loosely l *pivotedl tothe opposite side walls-of said frontend ofthe latter. I

v 2. k:A ishlure comprising an elongated'lon-V. Vgitudinally channeled body open at its front wardly spaced relation withthe front end :of the latter.

3. A fishV lure comprising an' elongated hook-carrying-body and having linel'attja'chmeans between its ends, means at the front endof said body forca'using said end;y to

dive, and means on the rear end of said'-l body for causingturning ofsaid body aboutthe VK il l 1.comprising.fanflelongated 5110 body in'rearwardlyspaced-'relation withthe p hook-carrying body having line-attaching means between its ends, means at the front end of said body for causing said end to dive, a pivoted flipper on the rear end of said body for causing turning of the body about the line, said flipper being mounted on an axis extending longitudinally of the body, and means for limiting the pivotal movementoi' said flipper in both directions about its axis.

5. A fish lure comprising an elongated longitudinally channeled body open at its front and rear ends, a line-attaching bail having its ends loosely pivoted to the opposite side walls of said body in rearwardly spaced relation with the iront end of the latter, a flipper at the rear end of said body, means pivota ly mounting said flipper on an axis extending longitudinally of the latter, said flipper extending -equi-distantly at opposite sides of said axis, and means for limiting pivotal movement of said flipper in both directions about its axis.

6. A fish lure comprising an elongated longitudinally channeled body open at its front and rear ends and having its open side disposed upwardly, a line-attaching bail having its ends loosely pivoted to the opposite side walls of said body in rearwardly spaced relation with the front end of the latter, a flipper at the rear end of said body, a flipper support projecting rigidly rearward from said body, and means pivotally mounting said flipper on said support on an axis extending longitudinally of said body, said support being positioned to be struck by said flipper to limit pivotal movement of the latter in both directions about its axis.

7. A fish lure comprising an elongated longitudinally channeled body open at its front and rear ends and having its open side disposed upwardly, the iront portion of said body being declined with respect to the remainder of said body, a line-attaching bail having its ends loosely pivoted to the opposite side walls of said body in rearwardly spaced relation with the front end of the latter, a flipper at the rear end of said body, means pivotally mounting said flipper on an axis extending longitudinally of the latter, said flipper extending equi-distantly at opposite sides of said axis, and means for limiting pivotal movement of said flipper in both directions about its axis.

8. A fish lure comprising an elongated longitudinally channeled body open at its front and rear ends and having its open side disposed upwardly, the front portion of said body being declined with respect to the remainder oi' said body, a line-attaching bail having its ends loosely pivoted to the opposite side walls of said body in rearwardly spaced relation with the iront end of the latter, a flipper at the rear end oit said body, a flipper support projecting rigidly rearward from said body, and means pivotally mounting said flipper on said support on an axis extending longitudinally of said body, said support being positioned to be struck by said flipper to limit pivotal movement of the latter in both directions about its axis.

9. A fish lure comprising an elongated longitudinally channeled body open at its front and rear ends and having its open side disposed upwardly, the front portion of said body being declined with respect to the remainder of said body, a line-attaching bail having its ends loosely pivoted to the opposite sides of said body in rearwardly spaced relation with the front end of said body, a tail projecting rigidly rearward from said body and disposed in a substantially horizontal plane extending longitudinally of said body, said tail having two upstanding rearwardly diverging vanes.

In testimony whereof I allix my signature.

EDWARD H. BGBO. 

